The Perfect Tube Pre/Channel Strip for Vocals -- With Digital Out!

Your ART Voice Channel is a second-generation discrete Class-A tube mic preamp with digital input and output -- making it a fantastic front-end for recording vocals, or just about any other single-channel source! Whether you're going for pristine transparency or colorful character, this preamp has you covered with expansive dynamic controls -- expander, de-esser, and gate -- plus semi-parametric EQ, variable input impedance, and even selectable plate voltage for a whole host of tone-shaping tools.

One Versatile Channel Strip for Tracking Vocals

Talk about versatility -- the ART Voice Channel can be used for a whole host of applications, whether you're recording vocals into your DAW, or fattening up broadcast voiceover. With this do-it-all preamp, each stage of your signal path is treated with careful attention. It's a powerhouse of signal enhancement and tonal refinement -- all packed into this one piece of exquisite and multifaceted gear. Just add your favorite recording mic, and you've got a killer signal chain for tracking vocals!

Detailed Sound and Transparency from a Tube Pre

If you want a professional sounding discrete Class-A tube tone for your signal, then the ART Voice Channel preamp has got your back. This baby's tube design provides warmth and clarity, and features a variable input impedance and selectable tube plate voltage to widen your sonic palette. This preamp houses a 12AX7A vacuum tube to give your tone a pleasantly full-bodied timbre. The high plate voltage setting won't bring up any unwanted noise or distortion, and the lower voltage setting will still leave you with plenty of warmth and color.

Onboard Dynamics Processing and Semi-parametric EQ Controls

You'll never be short on control with the ART Voice Channel pre! Threshold, attack, release, ratio, de-esser, and expander/gate controls along with pad, invert, EQ position boost, low cut, and tube voltage level switches give you more than enough to work with, to really hone in on the particular type of sound you want. Go nuts and spend hours seeing just how much dynamic sonic versatility this little monster of a machine has to offer.

Tons of I/O -- Analog and Digital Connectivity including USB

Your ART Voice Channel tube mic preamp is the intersection of where digital meets analogue. The back side of this preamp hosts word clock input and through connectors, an A/D CH2 insert, an A/D main insert, a balanced output, one XLR out and an XLR AES/EBU output, an insert input, a mic preamp output, an ADAT input, an optical output, an S/PDIF output, a balanced mic/line input, and a USB connector for your DAW. You really have a lot of options in terms of connectivity.

Easy to Read Control Layout

Don't allow yourself to be intimidated by the virtually limitless possibilities of how this powerful preamp can shape your tone. Your ART Voice Channel preamp's front panel hosts a nice selection of controls to help you dial in the tone and signal coloration you want. All of this baby's dials are clearly labeled and sectioned together in an intuitive fashion -- your dynamic controls, your semi-parametric EQ controls, and your low cut, pad, invert, phantom power, expand/gate, tube voltage power, low frequency, EQ position, optical output, and bypass switches are all grouped and partitioned in an easy to access manner. And the easy-to-read VU meter and gain reduction meter will always let you know how the Voice Channel is molding your signal.

For added versatility the EQ can be patched before OR after the dynamics processor while separate insertion jacks allow you quick quiet in-line connectivity to external signal processing gear immediately after the Mic preamp, before the EQ and dynamics processor in the signal path.

Another insert patch point exists just before the A/D converters.

Choose between a wide range of outputs including balanced analog output, 44.1 KHz to 192 KHz AES/EBU, S/PDIF, ADAT and USB. Both analog and digital meters provide a detailed indication of audio levels.

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ART Voice Channel Customer Review

Sound:
The Voice Channel has improved my Vocal recordings tremendously. I use a Bluebird mic running through the voice channel and was blown away by the improvement of the quality of recording the ability to add warmth via the tube setting. Since my homestudio enviorment has not been treated for recording and the gate function on the Voice Channel has worked phenomenal in keeping backgoud sounds out. I'm pretty new home recording but love this Voice Channel.
The only thing is I wasn't able to record a acoustic guitar very well through it but that's most likely to my lack of knowledge of recording instruments for vocals it's awesome.
Feature:
So much you can do with this thing. Love it.
Ease of Use:
I took it out of the box and started recording. Knobs are well labeled and pretty easy to figure out. Still learning though.
Quality:
Well for the price you can't beat it. I've been researching a mic pre-amp w/ gate and compressor etc. This all-in-one machine is a whole lot of
Value:
Well for the price you can't beat it. I've been researching a mic pre-amp w/ gate and compressor etc. This all-in-one machine is a whole lot of function for the price. I'm vey pleased at what I got forthe price.
Manufacturer Support:
haven't had any problems yet.

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"The blacker the berry the sweeter the juice."

Sound:
Art mic pre's as a guideline are known to have a "dark" sound. But with features like semi parametric EQ, adjustable impedance and selectable plate voltage you can achieve more airy sounds with judicious use of an aural exciter it can be quite an airy sound. I use it with several good mics -A sony c38b, SE z5600a mkii, Rode NT1A, Samson VR88 and a cheap Apex 420 large diaphragm condenser. Curiously enough it is not the kind of pre that will make an 800 dollar mic (z5600amkii) sound like a million dollars. But it wont make my $2000 Sony sound like crap either. Its a good mic preamp with its own very usable sounds. But if you're thinking you can match it up against a really great mic pre and come out even then it will fall a little shy, still for just over 400 dollars? Grab it. Its one of the best in the price range only the Joe Meek OneQ is in its league Then again I havent used the Eureka or the GT Brick.
Feature:
The most useful feature is semi parametric EQ, followed by the selectable plate voltage and adjustable impedance selection. Not super crazy about the compressor. Metering is amazingly good on a unit at this price so are the output options. I dont think anyone has a system that this won't integrate into perfectly. I mean it, that's one of its strongest features.
Ease of Use:
Like anything the deeper the feature list -the trickier it gets. Still its all right there labeled in creme avec noir. no menus and sub menus though (I'm sure one day even tube pre's will be plagued by this.)
Quality:
Its a tube pre i'm not gonna through it up against a brick wall to find out. Tubes are sensitive. thats the way life goes. looks pretty though espescially when that VU meter is lit up and the compresser is working away. Use it on the road? no I would not. worst aspect of quality is probably that they dont use a premier tube then again one premier tube can set you back fifty dollars.
Value:
I own a few mic pres and a few bundled mic pres
its better than the pres on my behringer eurorack because it has higher headroom.
Better than the pres on my Emu 1616m for the same reason.
I prefer it over my focusrite twintrak about 60 percent of the time.
equal to "my" (okay its a loaner...) joe meek oneq
Manufacturer Support:
not applicable. Thank God.
The Wow Factor:
Its beautiful actually.
Overall:
Well i think anyone who takes the studio aspect of music as being more creative than utilitarian has to go out and search for more sounds and more ways to capture sounds I'm not getting rid of this thing even when i can afford a Focusrite 220

Style of Music: goth to gospel and all points between (no Jazz !!!!!!!)

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